


Presumed Dead

by desperately_human



Category: Life on Mars (UK)
Genre: 2006, Gen, Other Characters Are Mentioned, Sad, Short work, Sort Of, Suicide Themes, s2e08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 20:34:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14922377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desperately_human/pseuds/desperately_human
Summary: It would be simple: he would look up the names, and there would be none, and that would be that.





	Presumed Dead

For moths he resisted; he listened to his doctors, his top-of-the-line trauma specialist, his own frightened heart. But it was too much not to know, not when he could know. It would be simple: he would look up the names, and there would be none, and that would be that. This was silliness, he should get it over with and get over it. So he typed “Annie Cartwright” into the police database, and wasn’t nearly as surprised as he should have been when the machine spit out “WPC Cartwright, Manchester Police.” There was a photograph, a picture of his Annie, young and grinning in her uniform, and just below that—so close his eyes saw it before he had made up his mind to look—was “died in the line of duty, 10 April 1973.”   
He must have made some sort of sound, because people were looking at him. Maya, who had politely avoided him for weeks, looked about to come over. He waved his hand and muttered something, and most of the curious faces turned away.   
Now, determined, not letting himself think, he ran through the rest of the names: DCI Hunt, DS Carling, DC Skelton—same result, same bland, one-line explanation, same date. The date of the train robbery. Finally, with shaking hands, he tried one last name: DI Sam Tyler, Manchester Police; missing in the line of duty 10 April 1973, presumed dead. For the first of many times, Sam left his desk and numbly climbed the stairs to the roof. He stood, looking out over the city: missing, presumed dead.

**Author's Note:**

> first draft. thanks for reading.


End file.
